I have had the honor of interacting with Mayan Families for just over a year. During this time I have a total of 10 days seeing first hand how well they live their purpose: giving a hand up to the Mayan people of the Lake Atitlan area of the Western Highlands. They are caring, well organized, creative and efficient. Without Mayan Families, our Hands Of Healing Guatemala Team ( Medical and Vision) could not
possibly be as effective. Their partnership directs where we go, transports us to and from the villages, find us a place to set up, registers our patients and provides us with Spanish and local K'iche'
and Kachiquel translators. They open our eyes to the great needs of our Mayan friends and encourage us to continue to help long after we are gone by sponsorships and any number of other ways! Their great and generous heart is in EVERYTHING they do. It is a privilege being in partnership with them as a medical team member and as a sponsor of a precious 8 year old Mayan student!!

I was priveleged to be part of a medical team called Hands of Healing Guatemala that came to work with Mayan Families in Panajachel, Guatemala in late October of this year. I am new to this team but this partnership has been going on between these two organizations for a few years. Mayan Families is the umbrella non profit under which HOH can serve Mayan villages in the Western Highlands around Largo Atitlan. Mayan Families offered us their transportation, safety, translators and helped identify the villages who most needed our medical services. Their staff helped us in every way, every day even giving us walking tours of Pana and allowing us to tour and see how their organization functions on a daily basis.. We saw such a dedication to their Mayan brothers and sisters. Everything they do is to help better the life of every Mayan person they meet. They offer sponserships for the elderly, for children and for families. They coordinate sponserships for housing, water filters, stoves, food,. They manage 7 pre-schools and coordinate sponsers for each child. They even have a medical clinic at their compound. They make it easy to donate and ,by everthing I saw and heard,they use the donations in the most effecient ways. Personally, I was amazed at the credentials and educational backgrounds of the staff. Many young ex-pats who are committed to giving a "hand up" to the Mayan people and even many Mayan young people giving back to their people. I saw hard work, long days, lots of traveling and strong leadership. I personally was moved, by their example, to purchase water filters and co-sponser a young child to ensure her education. During each days medical clinic, their staff worked hand in hand with us to provide exams, medicine,vitimins glasses and shoes to as many people as can be seen in a day. It was a life changing experience for me and I certainly was inspired by everyone who worked for Mayan Families . Judy--- Birmingham, Alabama, USA